This Document has been designed as a

guide to assist organising committees to

run jumping events that align with

Equestrian Queensland and Equestrian

Australia policies and by-laws. This

document should be read in conjunction

with the National Jumping Rules.

Jumping Queensland Event Manual

For further information contact Equestrian Queensland: (07) 3891 6611

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Table of Contents Introduction ........................................................................................................................................................ 2

About Jumping Queensland .......................................................................................................................... 2 Find this document online ............................................................................................................................. 2

SECTION 1: Are you ready to run a jumping event? ........................................................................................... 3 Event Facilities .................................................................................................................................................... 3

Arena ............................................................................................................................................................. 3 Practice Arena ............................................................................................................................................... 4 Judges Box ..................................................................................................................................................... 4 Equipment ..................................................................................................................................................... 4 Competitor Facilities ...................................................................................................................................... 4

SECTION 2: Event Preparation ............................................................................................................................ 6 Creating the Schedule ........................................................................................................................................ 6

Required Information .................................................................................................................................... 6 Entry Restrictions .......................................................................................................................................... 7 General Conditions of Entry .......................................................................................................................... 8

Prizemoney and Entry Fees ................................................................................................................................ 9 Entry Fees ...................................................................................................................................................... 9 Prizemoney .................................................................................................................................................... 9

Advertising Your Event ..................................................................................................................................... 10 Sponsors ........................................................................................................................................................... 10 Officials ............................................................................................................................................................. 11

Course Designer ........................................................................................................................................... 11 Judge ............................................................................................................................................................ 11 Time Keeper ................................................................................................................................................. 11 Penciller ....................................................................................................................................................... 11 Marshall and/or Steward ............................................................................................................................. 11 Announcer ................................................................................................................................................... 11 Arena Stewards or Ring Crew ...................................................................................................................... 12 First Aid ........................................................................................................................................................ 12 Event Secretary ............................................................................................................................................ 12 Officials Accreditation ................................................................................................................................. 12 Payment of Officials..................................................................................................................................... 12

SECTION 3: Running the Event ......................................................................................................................... 13 Entries & Draws ................................................................................................................................................ 13

Pre nomination ............................................................................................................................................ 13 Nominate on the Day .................................................................................................................................. 13 Competition Draw ....................................................................................................................................... 14

Uniform............................................................................................................................................................. 15 SECTION 4: Wrapping Up the Event ................................................................................................................. 16 Prize Giving ....................................................................................................................................................... 16 Receipt of Prize Money..................................................................................................................................... 16 Judging Sheets .................................................................................................................................................. 16 APPENDICES ...................................................................................................................................................... 17

Competitions not against the clock ............................................................................................................. 17 Competitions against the clock ................................................................................................................... 17 TABLE C COMPETITIONS .............................................................................................................................. 18

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Introduction Show jumping is an exciting and entertaining spectator attraction and can be a wonderful supplement to your annual show or equestrian event. The following is a document which will help in the preparation and running of any jumping classes that will maintain the great legacy of high standard equestrian competitions in Queensland.

Equestrian sports are the only Olympic sports, where male and females, compete against each other on equal terms. Of the equestrian disciplines, Jumping is the most spectacular. It is a crowd pleaser where the elite athlete is the horse and the tactician is the rider. What you see when a rider is competing, is the culmination of many years of tireless training and a bond of trust between horse and rider.

Jumping competitions are conducted under Equestrian Australia (EA) National and/or FEI Jumping rules and conditions. These are available from the EA website and are available to all events that are affiliated with Equestrian Queensland.

About Jumping Queensland Jumping Queensland (JQ) is the specialist jumping committee of Equestrian Queensland (EQ), its role is to promote, grow and develop show jumping throughout the state.

In Queensland, competitions run under EA rules & regulations, can only be conducted by EQ affiliates.

JQ is keen to assist wherever possible in the construction of your event. If you require any further assistance or clarification the JQ Committee can be reached by contacting EQ. The EQ Office is open Monday to Friday 8:30am to 4:30pm. If you are in need of any assistance.

Phone: (07) 3891 6611 Email: enquiries@equestrianqld.com.au Website: www.qld.equestrian.org.au Facebook: www.facebook.com.au/EquestrianQLD

Whether it be a query, rule clarification, assistance with your program or need of accredited officials, JQ

can help.

Find this document online An electronic copy of this document with fully functional hyperlinks is available at

www.qld.equestrian.org.au/jumping/for-organising-committees

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SECTION 1: Are you ready to run a jumping event?

Event Facilities

Arena The size, location and footing of the competition arena are important factors in attracting competitors to your show. It also determines the spectacle that show jumping presents to your patrons and sponsors.

Size Few organising committees have the luxury of providing a large arena for show jumping as there are other horse competitions and attractions being offered and competing for space.

An arena of 80 x 60 metres provides sufficient space to conduct most jumping competitions. Areas smaller than this present a congested display to the public and limit the variation of courses that the designer can present.

A small arena does not mean that the time it takes to complete the course will be shorter than in a larger arena. In fact, the opposite is often true as the courses in small arenas require more turns which add length to the course.

Boundary All show jumping arenas MUST be totally enclosed for the safety of the competitor and the public. The more prominent the arena boundary the safer the arena is.

Display bunting or plastic chain are common methods of enclosing the arena. Both are preferred to rope as they are more prominent and more likely to break if a horse becomes entangled.

If steel posts are used to hold up the arena boundary they need to be capped for safety and reduction of injury to horse and rider.

Top Tip Commercially available caps for steel pegs can be expensive. Tennis balls with a small hole or split make a great alternative that is cost effective and readily available.

Location Show jumping is a dynamic sport, that provides a visual spectacle to patrons of the show. Placing the arena in a location where patrons and sponsors can comfortably gather will facilitate the gathering of a larger crowd.

Having an arena away from noisy, moving sideshows allows the horse to perform at its best without distraction.

Equally important is the location of other competitions being conducted in the arena, horses are easily distracted by harness classes, donkey classes, working stock horse classes and whip cracking.

Surface Increasingly riders and owners of horses are giving consideration to the arena surface for show jumping events. The performance and longevity of the horse is directly influenced by the arena surface on which they compete. A surface that is flat, elastic and allows the horse to maintain traction on course is preferred by horses, their owners and riders. Better surface’s also add to the spectacle of the event as they allow combination’s to ride more competitively without compromising safety.

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As jumping is likely to be just one event which is conducted on the arena during the course of the year it is not practical to have a dedicated jumping surface. However, a few simple steps generally can improve the existing surface.

Preparation recommendations Aerating the surface, irrigating the arena and where necessary an application of sand will help achieve evenness, elasticity and increases traction.

It is important to start watering the arena at least one week prior to the event. This allows the water to penetrate deeper, encourages the turf to grow and provides a more uniform consistency in the top soil. If the arena irrigation starts just prior to the show the top soil becomes wet but the subsoil remains dry and the arena becomes slippery.

Freshly mown grass can also increase the slipperiness of an arena particularly if it is done just prior to the event. Mowing should be done seven to ten days prior to the event so that the cuttings can breakdown and the cut grass re-established. A coverage of 50 to 75 millimeters of grass is proven to be more resistant to the wear and tear of show jumping than short ‘bowling green’ mowing.

Practice Arena The practice arena is an often overlook aspect of the event facilities. Most of the jumping a horse does is in the warm-up arena, therefore it also needs to have a well prepared surface.

The size of the warm-up arena also heavily impacts the riders experience at an event, with larger areas preferred. An arena 50 x 30 metres is a minimum size.

In the warm-up arena there must be one spread fence and one vertical fence. It is also very helpful to have a cross rail fence in addition to the two compulsory fences.

A covered area for the ring marshall to work from is always appreciated and the notice board for displaying the course plan and draw is best located here.

Judges Box As the judge is in charge of the competition, the location of the judge’s box is of high importance. This Official spends a great deal of time at their post and should, if possible, have an elevated position (i.e. a trailer or similar). In addition, the judges box should not be facing into the sun and have a cover from the elements.

Equipment Establishing and maintaining show jumping equipment is quite costly. For this reason, it may be prudent for an organising committee to either hire the equipment or to establish the equipment in cooperation with neighboring organising committees. However, it is the responsibility of the president of the ground jury to ensure the correct safety equipment including safety cups on oxers and triple bars, as per article 210 of the National Rule Book.

There are a number of jumping clubs throughout QLD who may be able to make jumping gear available for your event. Some of the EQ sports committees also have trailers with gear that can be hired. For more information about the committee trailers contact EQ.

Competitor Facilities Attracting competitors to an event depends on a number of factors but among the most important are the facilities that are available to them such as parking, access to water, stabling, showers and toilets.

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Providing a parking area for show jumping competitors which is close to the practice area is appreciated as is a location of toilets and showers.

If available, in the event of extremely hot weather, a cooler containing water and disposable plastic cups, should be positioned in the warm up arena or near the enter gate to the competition arena for the riders.

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SECTION 2: Event Preparation

Creating the Schedule The event schedule is an important document that will be used to advertise the event and provide all competitors with all the information they need to know regarding the event. The schedule sets out the conditions of entry and outlines the classes on offer and the manner in which they are conducted.

Required Information

General Event Information The Event Schedule needs to contain the name of all officials, all relevant contact details for the event (address, telephone and email address) and closing date for entries. If the event is to offer extraordinary awards, such as leading lady rider, the terms, conditions and prizes for such awards should also be defined in the schedule.

It can be helpful to also state the starting time of the first competition and approximate starting time of subsequent competitions.

Top tips for the timing of classes As an event organiser, you will be aware when the attendance figures are at their peak. Consider scheduling your main class (Grand Prix) and novelty class/es, during these peak periods to capitalise on the spectacle and excitement of Show jumping. The considered presentation of jumping classes can also, and often do, attract both spectators and sponsors to the event.

It is also worth noting that an efficient judge can handle 25-30 horses per hour.

Class Specific Information The nature of jumping competitions means the majority of information to be specific to each class. For this reason, the following information must be stated clearly on the schedule for each class;

Class number &/or name

The height/ height range that the class is to be run at

The Article/table the class is to be judged by

The entry fee for the class (this usually varies in accordance with the prestige of the class)

Any restrictions on entry to the class or eligibility criteria that the horse and/or rider must meet

The breakdown of prizes to be awarded

Types of Competition The main type of classes conducted at events are Table A competitions. There is a range of other special competitions available, some of them novelty type competitions, Six Bar and Puissance are examples of these.

When creating the schedule, the organising committee needs to strike a balance between the classical Table A competitions and the special competitions. Chapter 6 of the National Jumping Rules lists a number of competitions which are not judged under Table A and can add variety and interest to the events of the day. Whatever competitions are decided upon the FEI/EA judging article should be included in the schedule.

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A basic description for most types of competitions is able in the appendices of this document along with their common names and article numbers to allow easy reference to the National Rule Book.

Entry Restrictions The grading system for jumping horses was replaced in 2013, events are now run by height classes which may or may not have specific restrictions on entry for the horse and/or rider. The introduction of height classes means that entrants can now be assured of the height of each class.

In addition, classes are no longer termed to official or unofficial, they are now called ‘above the line’, ‘below the Line’ or ‘closed club activities.

Membership Restrictions

Above the Line Classes Any class which includes fences 1.05m or above are considered to be ‘above the line’.

Regardless of any other entry restriction imposed on these classes, it is a requirement that;

1. The rider holds a current competitor membership with EA

2. The horse is life registered with EA

3. The horse has a current EA competition license

4. The owner of the horse (as registered with EA) is a current member of EA of any category

These requirements can be checked by any official or member of the organising committee.

Each member, upon renewal, is sent a membership card via email. If the rider has not printed this card out they may not be able to produce a hard copy, however, they should be able to, at a minimum, produce either the email or a screen shot of the card on their smart phone or tablet.

Competition licences for a horse are only issued to life registered horses once all registered owners have renewed their membership. In Queensland these are emailed out to the registered primary owner of the horse, in other states hard copies are sent out.

The competition licences will list a number of details about the horse and its registration including the number of jumping points the horse has accumulated (as at the date of issue), and the valid to date of the card.

Below the Line Classes Classes of 1m and below are considered to be ‘below the line’. These classes do not require horse registration or a competition licence. Any rider’s competing in these classes must be at a minimum Participant members of EA. Again, these riders should be able to produce proof of membership either in hard copy or electronically.

Closed Club Activities These classes can only be run by EA affiliated Clubs, they are not open to Show societies, commercial affiliates or breed societies.

These classes can be run at any height and do not require EA membership or horse registration. However, the rider MUST be current member of the HOST CLUB.

These classes may be run in conjunction with an Above or Below the line class however the distinction must be clearly made on the schedule and the classes must be judged/scored on different sheets.

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Additional Points Restrictions Most ‘above the line’ classes accrue points, as outlined in Chapter 13 of the National Rule Book. If applicable points are awarded to 1st, 2nd and 3rd place on a scale of 4, 2 and 1 point respectively.

It is common practice to restrict some ‘open’ height classes to horses with fewer points with the aim of sharing prizes around to combinations who are less experienced.

To do this the terms of the restriction need to be added to the class on the event schedule.

[example] Class 1 – 1.05m Art 238.2.2 (for horses under 20 points)

[example] Class 2 – 1.10m Art 238.2.1 (for horses 20 pts and under)

Please note the wording is very important. In the examples above, a horse with 20 points could not enter class one but could enter class 2.

If classes are to be restricted to horses over a certain amount of points, this must also be clearly stated on the event schedule.

Organisers can also offer an “Open” class of any height. This competition will allow horses with any number of points to enter. This enables Owners/Riders who feel their horse would be improved by “coming back a height”.

Additional Rider Restrictions It is a common occurrence for organizing committees to restrict entry to classes based on age of the horse or rider. In the event that this will be done (particularly if the same restriction is imposed on several classes) the definitions MUST be included in the schedule. Such restrictions include;

Local Rider: A rider who resides within 50kms of the event grounds. [example]

Young Horse: For horses born after 1 August 2010 [example]

Article 255 of the National Rule Book contains definitions of Juniors, Young Riders and Amateur Riders. If the event wishes to restrict some classes to these riders, these definitions should be clearly referenced in the schedule.

Futurity Classes Futurity classes have specific requirements for both competitors and organising committees. If you are interested in running a ‘future stars’ class it is essential that, as organizer’s, these requirements have been read, understood and are followed. Futurity classes are covered under article 275 of the National Rule Book.

General Conditions of Entry Outside the normal requirements for EA events (re: membership, helmets, stallions etc.) the list below are suggested additional conditions of entry which you should strongly consider including in your event schedule.

In addition to these, it is important that the refund policy for the event and any additional fees (late fees, ground hire etc.) be clearly articulated in the conditions of entry.

The Organising Committee reserves the right at their absolute discretion to alter or amend any of the conditions, regulations, prizemoney, class sizes or any aspect of the event as they see fit.

The Organising Committee reserves the right, at their absolute discretion, to accept or refuse any entry.

The Organising committee reserves the right to swab horses. Random swabbing of horses may be conducted in any class.

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Riders must comply with the instructions of the Swabbing Steward.

Riders will be expected to wear coats at the presentations.

Summer Uniform will be permitted if weather conditions require.

Riders with stallions that are placed in a class may substitute the stallion with another horse for the presentation.

All riders competing at the event will be expected to have read and accepted the conditions of entry

Only riders competing in the current competition may use the final practice area. Only [enter number of horses] horses will be allowed in the practice area at any one time. A flat work area will be provided separate to the jumping warm up arenas.

All prize money may alter if sponsorship is not received and entry fees are inclusive of GST.

All riders must present their competitors cards to the judge/Office official or prize money will not be issued.

Protests must be addressed to the Ground Jury in writing, accompanied by a $[enter amount] fee and be lodged no later than 30 minutes after the announcement of the results of the relevant class. The period of jurisdiction of the Ground Jury is 60 minutes after the announcement of the final results of the class. The fee will be refunded if the protest is upheld.

It is also important that the refund policy for the event be clearly articulated in the conditions of entry.

Prizemoney and Entry Fees

Entry Fees Competitors appreciate low entry fees as they can add up to a considerable amount if they have a number of horses competing at the Show. A lower entry fee makes the event more attractive to the competitors. Additionally, the more prize money an organising committee can offer the more competitors and the higher the quality of competitor the event can attract.

The entry fee for a competition should be directly related the amount of prizemoney offered. The suggested rate is approximately 10% of the first prize money offered.

As a guide entry fees can be scaled according to the riders and importance of the class, for example junior class entry fees could be up to $10 per round with Amateur/adult rider at $15 and the Grand Prix/Elite rounds set at $20+.

Prizemoney In any competition there needs to be a minimum of three placings offered, preferably five. If there are larger fields of competitors more placings should be offered as this attracts more competitors who have a chance of recouping some of their expenses and just as importantly getting a ribbon for placings.

It is good practice to consider awarding at least the entry fee to placings over 5th on a ratio of one placing for each 6 horses entered

As a guide the level and distribution of prizemoney could be as follows.

the entry fee should be approximately 10% of the Prizemoney offered to first place

the breakdown of prizemoney be 30% for 1st place, 25% for 2nd, 20% for 3rd, 15% for 4th, and 10% for 5th.

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Things to Consider As an organizer, it is important to be aware of how prize money effects a horse’s points. If any ‘above the line’ class offers less than $100 in prize money (amongst other criteria) jumping points will not be added to the horse’s competition license.

It should be noted that not all classes would contribute to the overhead expenses of an event. Generally, the lower height classes will draw the greatest number of entries and yield the greater income, however, the higher classes provide the excitement to the crowd.

It is not uncommon to have 30+ riders in a 1.00m class and with the entry fees at $10 and a prize-pool of $200 the return to the show is $400 and this can supplement the higher class with less entries.

Advertising Your Event The wider and longer your event is advertised the greater your chances of attracting competitors to it.

Social Media is fast becoming the most popular means of advertising your events, as documents, photo adds, or simple posts can be made and uploaded to advertise your event which can reach an immense audience in a very short time frame.

EQ affiliates are also entitled to have their event dates, schedules and information placed on the EQ website.

It is also not uncommon for large events to place adds on horse related websites/magazines. These publications have closing dates well ahead of the event date and so this needs to be taken in to account. They also charge a fee for advertising, which should be included in the budget or sometimes these ads may form part of a sponsorship agreement.

Co-operating with other organising committees that conduct events prior to yours can also provide advertising opportunities. Having the arena announcer mention your event and/or having copies of your schedule available is an easy way to target local riders. Additionally, most saddlery’s and produce stores are happy to display your schedule or advertisement and this also targets local riders.

Sponsors Getting and maintaining sponsors is never an easy task, however it is generally essential to have a group of sponsors to support your event so that the costs of conducting the event can be offset. Sponsors with a strong local commitment or connection to the horse industry are those most likely to support your event.

All sponsors should be given the opportunity to display an appropriate amount of advertising around the show jumping arena. This may be on some of the show jumps or the arena boundary.

Consultation with the sponsors is always appreciated by them. If a naming rights sponsor for the event or a class is secured their name should appear in the schedule and be mentioned regularly over the public address system. Each sponsor can be asked to provide information for the announcer that can be publicised throughout the event.

How you treat and what you offer your sponsor’s is important. Substantial sponsors can be given the naming rights to your show jumping event. Smaller sponsors can be given the naming rights to a class. If a sponsor is particularly generous, a special jump can be constructed featuring the sponsor’s logo and name. This places the sponsor’s name in a very prominent position and gives great value for money.

All sponsors should be invited to take part in the prize giving ceremony of the competition for which they have kindly donated prize money.

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Top Tip It is a good idea to create a sponsorship prospectus. This will give you an idea of what you can offer the sponsors but also differentiate between them. It can also help ensure you don’t over commit, for example sell the naming rights to 13 classes if you are only offering 10.

The sponsorship prospectus will also make the expectations of the sponsor and the event very clear. Sponsors can often get upset and unwilling to continue to support an event if they don’t feel like they received the benefit they expected. By clearly articulating this expectations and offerings in writing, an event can ensure that both parties have the same understanding of the sponsorship agreement.

Officials The officials, explained below, are required to ensure the event runs as smoothly as possible.

It is highly recommended that, at a minimum, the judge, marshall, announcer, steward and event secretary have communication via two-way radios to ensure safety and so the event can run as smoothly as possible.

Course Designer Course designers are responsible for the preparation of the designs of the courses and the supervision of the construction of the course. Choosing the course designer for the event is important as they must be capable of designing courses suitable to the level of the competition.

Judge Judges are responsible for overseeing the general conduct and in particular the scoring of the competition. Choosing the judge for the event is important as they must be capable of ensuring the competitions are judged correctly and that the event is conducted according to the rules of the sport.

Time Keeper The timekeeper works in close cooperation with the judge and keeps the time taken for each competitor as they complete their round. In many instances at smaller events either the Judge or the penciller can be the time keeper. For larger shows with high level competitions it may be necessary to hire electronic timing equipment. Even if electronic timing is used it is advisable to manually keep time as, if the electronic timing fails, there is a backup time. It is also a good practice that both the judge and timekeeper manage a stopwatch to ensure accuracy and backup for the competitor’s time on the course.

Contact Jumping Queensland if you are interested in using electronic timing equipment.

Penciller The penciller acts as a secretary to the judge. They record the penalties as called by the judge during each competitors round. It is helpful if the penciller has had some experience with show jumping to facilitate the smooth conduct of the event. If this is not possible the judge should be made aware so they can take a few minutes to teach the penciller.

Marshall and/or Steward The marshall organises the competitors in the practice arena according to the draw order. They inform the riders, who is next to compete and so on. It is important that the marshal has communication with the judge so that the flow of competitors is smooth and the competitors are kept informed of the arena proceedings so that they can warm up accordingly.

Note: This individual is an integral part in ensuring your events run to time and should be someone who can manage the riders with tact and authority.

Announcer Some organising committees have a specialist show jumping announcer however the general arena announcer is mostly used to inform the public of the proceedings in the show jumping arena. It is important

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that the announcer has communication with the judge of the show jumping so that accurate announcements can be made.

Many smaller events don’t have an official announcer, but an announcer can help draw crowds to the arena, and create excitement among the spectators.

Arena Stewards or Ring Crew To support the work of the course designer three or four ring crew are required the day prior to the start of the event and during the event. The crew assist the course designer in the setting up of the course on the day prior to the event, the maintenance of the course during the competition and the changes to the courses during and at the end of each day.

First Aid As show jumping has its elements of risk involved, it is important that first aid (suitably equipped) should be stationed close to the arena with clear access for their vehicle.

Event Secretary The event secretary will spend most of the day in the event office and will need to be contactable via two-way at all times. They will be responsible for taking nominations and preparing class draws, paying prize money, ensuring the judge has a copy of the order of classes for their ring, ensuring the correct prizes are available at the ring for each presentation, as well as being the general go-to person. It is not expected that this person will know all aspects of the entire event but, if asked questions will be able to source correct answers.

Officials Accreditation Events MUST use EA NOAS accredited judges and course builders. It is also recommended that for larger events, EA NOAS accredited stewards be used. The list available on the EA website officials search is automatically updated. This means that if a judge is not on the list either their membership, accreditation or insurance as lapsed.

Please be aware of the following lapse dates when booking officials. If your event is just after any one of these dates your officials may not be current on the date of your show. Please also be aware that the state your officials come from will affect the time or year their membership is due.

QLD & WA membership – 31 December

All other state membership – 30 June

FEI membership – 31 December

EA NOAS insurance – 30 June

EA NOAS accreditation – 30 March (every 3 years)

Payment of Officials Some officials are prepared to donate their time voluntarily however as many officials are engaged by many different organising committees they will need to charge for their time, services and/or travel.

When engaging officials an organising committee should enquire about an official’s fee, their travel costs, meals, accommodation and preferred method of payment.

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SECTION 3: Running the Event

Entries & Draws There are essentially two ways to accept entries; pre-nomination or nominate on the day. Both of these methods can have their benefits but their effectiveness also depends on the size and age of your event and the experience of your organizing committee. The closing date of entries must be stated on the event schedule.

Pre nomination Pre Nomination can reduce the stress of the event secretary on the morning of a show. It gives time to ensure the correct fees have been paid, draws to be created and scoresheets to be prefilled with riders and horses. It also tells the organizing committee how many riders will be attending so rings can be added or cancelled if necessary.

Pre nomination may not be appropriate for some events. Some riders do prefer events which allow nominations to be taken on the day as it allows them right up until the morning of the event to select which horses they will take and which classes they will be entered in. However, for larger, more established show such as the Gatton World Cup, pre nomination works very well.

Top Tip There are many online platforms that can assist with pre nomination. Equestrian Queensland recommends www.nominate.com.au If the organizing committee is time poor or low on man power using an online platform for taking your entries can save a lot of time and energy. They allow;

Automatic control of class numbers

Control of all entry fees directed to your event account

Immediate refunds if necessary

Communications to all entrants

Creation of draws for each class

Creation of score sheets for each class

Creation of marshall sheets for each class

Entry Checks Entry checks are a service provided to EQ affiliates who do pre-nominations for their events. Nominate.com.au allows organisers to download and entry check report which can be sent to EQ. This particular report links to the EA database and significantly reduces the time required to perform the entry check.

Once EQ has completed the entry check we will be able to tell you which riders and horses do not meet the requirements for ‘above’ and ‘below’ the line classes and therefore are not eligible to compete in those classes. If given enough time, (we suggest a minimum of 4 business days) EQ can contact any riders who may not be eligible for their classes and assist them to become eligible.

Nominate on the Day Taking nominations on the day can magnify the hectic atmosphere for an organizing committee on the morning of an event but is still a very common practice. It requires the organisers to ensure the event office is open early enough for all nominations to be taken for the first classes and to remain open and manned for most of the day as riders look to make extra nominations. For nominations to be taken on the day it also requires the office to have a cash float (or EFTPOS) and by the end of the day hold what can be a

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substantial amount of cash and cheques (if accepted) that will need to be balanced and accounted for. If you are planning to take nominations on the day, you will need to make sure that the acceptable methods of payment are well known.

The final thing which will need to be considered when taking entries on the day is the close of entries. This will need to be decided upon and clearing advertised. In order to allow draws to be posted and scoresheets to be filled in, it is recommended that entries be closed no later than 30mins prior to the expected start of the class.

There are two ways that are popular among organisers to ensure that riders do not ride in classes they have not paid for: nominating to specific classes and purchasing tickets.

Nominating to specific classes When rider’s present to the office for nomination, they will need to provide the name of both horse and rider for each class they wish to enter. At this point the office can check their proof of membership and registration and reject their entry to classes they are not eligible for. If accepted the combination is written either directly onto the scoresheets or onto a list which will become the class draw. When the class commences if the combination is not on the list they are denied entry to the ring. This method also allows the organizing committee to easily control and enforce the number of combinations permitted in each class.

Purchasing Tickets All classes with the same entry fee are grouped together and given a colour, for example all classes with an entry fee of $5 per horse are labelled as green, all $10 classes are labelled as blue.

Rider’s will present to the event office and purchase the desired number and classification of tickets for the classes they wish to enter. For example, a rider may purchase 2 green and 2 blue tickets. This will allow them to enter any two of the ‘green’ classes and any two of the ‘blue classes’

When the rider’s present to the classes, either the ring steward or judge will need to be aware of the classification of the class and will request that coloured ticket from the rider before they commence. If the rider cannot produce a ticket of that colour, they are not permitted to commence.

This method will slow the rings down slightly as the penciller will need to record the name of each horse and rider as they present. But, this method also means that the close of entries time will need to be advertised differently. The organizer may advertise that if no rider presents present after 5 minutes the judge has the right to close the class. This will allow the event to keep flowing.

Top Tip Raffle ticket books are popular method of tickets. They are available in several different colours, readily available and inexpensive. By giving the entrant one half of the ticket and keeping other half it also makes acquitting the funds taken for entries very easy.

Using the same figures as above, if the office as sold 20 green tickets and 10 blue they will know that they should have $200 (20 tickets @ $5 per ticket = $100 plus 10 tickets @ $10 per ticket = $100)

Competition Draw In the interest of fair play it is preferable that a draw be done for each competition. This draw should be posted at the arena entrance, preferably one half hour before the competition is due to commence. Riders with more than one horse entered in a competition should have a minimum of six horses between each of their mounts.

If a draw cannot be done for the first round, then a draw should be done for the jump off where

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applicable. It is preferable to keep the competition flowing, rather than wait for a draw to be done for the first round.

Uniform The organising committee can stipulate in the schedule what uniform is to be worn by competitors when competing during the event, provided it does not contradict article 256.1 of the National Rule Book.

The traditional uniform entails, pale breeches, white shirt and tie, jacket and top boots. An approved helmet is mandatory whilst ever a rider is mounted, this includes mounted prize-giving.

During summer, and at other times of the year this uniform can be quite uncomfortable for the riders as it becomes too hot for them, in accordance with article 256.1.5.1 of the National Rule Book the organising committee, ground jury and/or judge, can recommend that riders ride in alternative dress. The alternative uniform is to ride in pale breeches, top boots and a shirt with sleeves and a collar to support a tie.

It is important to implement a dress code as a sign of respect to your sponsors and to maintain a standard in the sport. Sponsors are hesitant to associate their good name to a poorly presented product.

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SECTION 4: Wrapping Up the Event

Prize Giving An important part of the spectacle of jumping is the mounted presentation at the end of a class. It may not be feasible to make mounted presentations for each class but certainly for the major classes. It is good practice and in the interest of safety that ribbons and rugs should be put on BEFORE the horses enter the ring.

If the class sponsor is available, it is also recommended to involve the sponsor in the presentations. Many sponsors are not familiar with horses and for their safety, experienced officials should garland horses before they are presented to the sponsors. Stallions may be substituted with another mount at any presentation.

Receipt of Prize Money If not done so already, proof of membership should be requested before any prizes are awarded. If the horse and rider does not meet the entry requirements of the class on any bases (points or membership) then they are disqualified from the class and forfeit all prizes.

As per article 283.6. of the National Rule Book, if an athlete is unable to produce a current competition license, they have 10 days to do so, or else forfeit all prizes to the organising committee.

Judging Sheets The judge is responsible for the correct completion of the competition score sheets. Prizes should be awarded according to the results.

As soon as possible after the event the scoresheets (accompanied by a copy of the event schedule), MUST be sent to the EQ office to be added to the national database. The address of the State Branch is to be found at the front of this publication. It is the Judges responsibility to ensure this is done.

If the event is part of a leaderboard (Grand Prix Horse of the Year), a copy of the results should also be sent to the leaderboard coordinator.

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APPENDICES

Competitions not against the clock

238.1.1 (A1) Competition not against the clock but with time allowed. The competitors with equality of penalties share the prizes. Depending on the conditions of the competition, there may be one or two jump offs not against the clock for those with equality of penalties for first place (except 6 Bar)

238.1.2 (AM3) One round not against the clock. Competitors with equal faults for first place jump off, against the clock. Other riders are places according to their penalties in the first round.

238.1.3 (AM4) A competition not against the clock. Competitors with equal penalties for first place jump off, not against the clock and in the event of further equality of penalties for first place there is second jump off against the clock. Other riders are places according to their penalties in the first jump off and if necessary in the first round.

Competitions against the clock

238.2.1 (A2) Competition against the clock. Competitors with equality of penalties for any place are placed in accordance with time taken to complete the round. In the event of equality of penalties and time for first place, a jump-off against the clock may take place.

238.2.2 (AM5) A competition against the clock, but in the event of equality of penalties for first place, there will be one jump off against the clock. Other athletes are placed according to their penalties and time in the first round.

238.2.3 (AM6) A competition against the clock the same as 238.2.2 (AM5) however if after the first jump off there is an equality of penalties for first place there is a second jump off against the clock.

245.3 (AM7) In this competition, a competitor with a clear round rides the jump-off course, against the clock, before leaving the arena. The competitor has 45 seconds only to go through the starting flags after the Judge sounds the bell for the jump-off.

The 245.3 (AM7) jump-off may include two (2) new obstacles in the course.

274.5.6 (Super Two Phase) This competition has one round, split into two phases. The first phase is over 5 - 7 obstacles not against the clock, the remaining obstacles judged against the clock. Athletes are placed according to aggregate penalties in both phases and if necessary according to the time of the second phase.

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TABLE C COMPETITIONS

Article 239 Faults under Table C are penalised in seconds which are added to the time taken by the athletes to complete the round.

• Obstacle knocked down while jumping or one or more feet in the water = 4 seconds (3 seconds for a two-phase competition, knock-out competitions or for any jump off under Table C)

• First disobedience (refusal) = 0 faults

• First disobedience, with a knock down and/or displacing of an obstacle (rebuild) = time correction of 6 seconds

• Second disobedience (refusal) = 0 faults

• Third disobedience = Elimination

• Fall of horse or rider = Elimination • There is no time allowed under Table C only a time limit of

3 minutes if the length of the course is more than 600m

2 minutes if the length of the course is less than 600m

Exceeding the time limit = Elimination

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